Eren Banks put pen to paper last week and signed to play at Georgia Southern University.
The Putnam County basketball star is now officially an Eagle after signing his letter of intent.
“I’m really excited,” Banks told The Eatonton Messenger. “I’m going to be signing to go to Georgia Southern University today, and I'm just really happy. I really like the school.”
Banks led the War Eagles in scoring last season; however, he only played in 18 games. He averaged 22.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during his junior year.
Banks is listed as a 6-foot-3, 170-pound combo guard, per 247Sports.com. He also had interest from Mercer, Coastal Carolina, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, among others.
Still, Georgia Southern is where he wanted to call home. He committed to GSU on May 7.
“(Georgia Southern) coach (Chris) Shumate had first contacted me after one of my AAU camps (last summer). We went and talked after the game,” Banks said in July. “That’s when he told me that he might be in contact later. He then started coming to summer workouts and practices last June. I went and took a visit to the campus this past May. The coaching staff at GSU treated me like their top priority.”
Putnam County head coach LaPatrick Marshall was proud of Banks’ achievement.
“It’s a pleasure to coach Eren,” Marshall said at the ceremony. “I’m not going to take credit. This is a family thing. His family has been there with him. His brother, his mom, and his dad. They all have. So this is the day that the Banks family has been looking forward to. Not just Eren. He’s the highlighter. This is a great family.”
Banks plays travel basketball for Georgia South. He participates in the AAU league, coached by Earnest Brown, in the offseason when he’s not playing for the War Eagles.
Brown coached former No. 1 overall NBA draft selection Anthony Edwards a few years ago. He found Banks’ highlights online and knew he wanted to coach him.
“I had a vision for him,” Brown told The Eatonton Messenger in July. “I told Eren that if he came to play with us (Georgia South), we will put him out on social media and promote his game. I advertised to him that he could be the next one of those guys. So, Eren trusted me and started playing with us. He’s pretty much taken off ever since. He’s also become a star (both on the court and off) for us as a player.”
Banks is an exceptional student off the court and has a 3.0-plus GPA average. He plans to major in either Animal Science or Middle Grades Education at Georgia Southern.
The War Eagles and Banks began their season earlier this week against Northside (Columbus).
“They (Georgia Southern) put me first. That’s one of the main reasons why I committed,” Banks said in July. “They prioritized me. They kept talking. They kept coming to see me (at games). We sat down and ate dinner together a lot. So, they treated me like I was their number one. It was like I was already a part of their family.”